2015 Fellows

More than 300 Stanford students engaged in immersive service opportunities around the world during

the summer of 2015. Click to see a map illustrating where all of our fellows are.

The students listed below are supported by the Haas Center for Public Service’s Undergraduate

Fellowships Program.

African Service Fellowship

a joint program with the Center for African Studies supporting students’ work on social and economic

issues in Africa

Claudia Brunner, ’17 (Mechanical Engineering); Bottomup, Capetown, South Africa

Claudia worked with Bottomup and assisted the Parkwood Primary School in determining the

best way to utilize its existing computer room by integrating computers into the school’s

curriculum and ensuring that the facilities meet the teacher's needs.

Helen Gambrah, ’17 (Human Biology); Kaeme Organization, Accra, Ghana

Helen worked with the organization Kaeme and partnered with the Ghanaian Department of

Social Welfare to profile orphans.

Carolyn Oliver, ’17 (Human Biology); TeachAIDS, Palo Alto, California

Carolyn helped with the development of a new version of TeachAIDS' HIV education software.

Brandon Schow, ’15 (Geophysics); International Justice Mission, Gulu, Uganda

Brandon partnered with International Justice Mission (IJM) to work against property grabbing in

Uganda.

Mina Shah, ’16 (Comparative Literature); West Africa AIDS Foundation, Accra, Ghana

Mina conducted interviews to help the West Africa AIDS Foundation improve quality-of-care for

their clinics and developing lesson plans for different sections of books that deal with issues of

health and marginalized populations.

Nora Tan, ’17 (Biology); Ifakara Health Institute, Morogoro, Tanzania

Nora worked on creating and implementing a community health education project that will

provide screening for basic resource needs for clients (such as health care access, hunger and

public benefits).

Stacey Wong, ’15 (Public Policy); Ubongo Kids, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Stacey worked with Ubongo Kids, an organization that produces math and science edutainment

material to improve access to education, and worked on developing the organization's

distribution and corporate strategy.

Made possible by the David Abernethy NGO Internship Fund, the African Service Fellowship Fund, and

the Tom Lockard and Alix Marduel International Public Service Fellowship for Undergraduates Fund.

Community Arts Fellowship

offers opportunities to work with arts organizations whose education and community priorities align

with the goals of Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts: to engage students and the community

with issues of culture, identity and diversity through the lens of the arts

Lauren Dyer, ’16 (Political Science); Mural Music & Arts Project (MMAP), East Palo Alto,

California

Lauren served as a Program Associate and her responsibilities includes engaging with and

providing guidance for the youth attending the organization’s program, designing lesson plans,

connecting with partner organizations, and organizing MMAP's Program Matrix.

Malcolm Lizzappi, ’17 (Comparative Literature); Black Lives Matter Productions, Oakland,

California

Malcolm collaborated on a Black Lives Matter documentary, and hopes to learn critical

depictions of race, gender, class, and identity through film and sound.

Made possible by the Institute for Diversity in the Arts and the Philip and Jennifer Arnold Satre Fund.

Corporate Social Responsibility Fellowship

offers opportunities to work with a mentor in a corporate affairs, global affairs, community relations or

CSR department at a corporate headquarters or in a corporate foundation

Kendall Beckett, ’16 (Economics); Apple, Cupertino, California

Kendall worked in Apple's Supplier Responsibility program focusing on upholding labor

standards and human rights in their global supply chain.

Parabal Singh, ’15 (Economics and International Relations); Wockhardt Foundation, Mumbai,

India

Parabal sought to better understand the motivations and constraints of corporations engaged in

development and social impact activities and focused on Wockhardt Foundation's e-learning

and mobile applications projects.

Made possible by individual donors to the Haas Center Undergraduate Fellowships Program.

Daher Memorial Fellowship

encourages students to develop projects that explore the intersections of business or economics and

public service

Anjali Kumar, ’15 (Public Policy); Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy, Thimpu, Bhutan

Anjali worked with youth who produce media through BCMD's Media Lab to help them

monetize their creative talents and services and ran a weekly business workshop catering to any

youth interested in starting their own enterprise.

Made possible by the Andrew Daher Fellowship Program Fund.

Education and Youth Development Fellowship

supports summer enrichment programs addressing academic and social needs of local underserved

middle and high school youth

The following fellows worked with the East Palo Alto Stanford Academy (EPASA) program:

Maria Barba, ’17 (Undeclared)

Benjamin deMayo, ’18 (Undeclared)

Clayton Evans, ’15 (Mechanical Engineering)

Emma Hartung, ’17 (African & African American Studies)

Joseph Lee, ’17 (Symbolic Systems)

Aisha Sharif, ’18 (Undeclared)

Camy Seitz-Cherner, ’15 (Human Biology)

Co Tran, ’17 (Undeclared)

The following fellows worked with our Education and Youth Development Fellowship Signature

Partners:

Alec Hogan, ’16 (African & African American Studies); Academic Tutoring and Leadership at

Sequoia; Redwood City, California

Adorie Howard, ’17 (Undeclared); Mural Music & Arts Project, East Palo Alto, California

Lauren Joseph, ’17 (Undeclared); Foundation for a College Education, East Palo Alto, California

Made possible by Tosa Foundation and individual donors to the Haas Center Undergraduate Fellowships

Program.

Haas Summer Fellowship

provides students with support to develop and implement innovative, collaborative service projects that

address community needs

Maheetha Bharadwaj, ’16 (Biology); Udhavum Karangal Chennai, India

Maheetha worked with her partner organization to build a health literacy program by

translating and producing health videos that will be shown to patients in the waiting room of the

health clinic.

Vivian Ho, ’17 (Human Biology); Project Vietnam Foundation, Vietnam

Vivian layed the groundwork for catalyzing emergency medical services in rural areas outside of

Ho Chi Minh City by developing programs that train responders in basic life support skills.

Charlie Jiang, ’16 (Engineering Physics); City Museum, Kathmandu, Nepal

Working from Stanford, Charlie helped create an online “storymap” to help track cultural

resources for tourism in an effort to contribute to the post-earthquake recovery efforts.

John Kamalu, ’18 (Computer Science); Girls Code Camp, Hyderabad, India

John started a program called Girls Code Camp in Hyderabad, India with two fellow Stanford

students, including Aashna Shroff. John partnered with CHIREC and other schools in Hyderabad

to create and teach computer programming workshops for high school girls.

Katie Kirsch, ’16 (Product Design Engineering); Girls Driving for a Difference, United States

Katie co-founded “Girls Driving for a Difference,” an organization and mobile design studio team

of Stanford women dedicated to using design to empowering young girls to become social

changemakers. Katie drove across the country in an RV, visiting dozens of communities, and

coaching design thinking + leadership workshops to empower over 2,000 middle school girls to

create their own social impact as community leaders.

Vy Le, ’16 (Anthropology); Smile Group, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Vy worked with Smile Group, a nonprofit community center supporting children and families

affected by HIV/AIDS, to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS related issues through the creation of

outreach campaigns and summer programing.

Isabella Leon Calle, ’18 (Undeclared); Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, Brunswick,

Maine

Isabella developed a partnership between a food pantry and a free clinic in her hometown to

design and implement a small scale educational learning plan teaching children about health

and nutrition at the lunch site, and also worked to raise awareness about governmental and

local aid programs for families of all income levels.

Evelyn Li, ’18 (Civil Engineering); IBEKA, Indonesia

Evelyn implemented a remote monitoring system to measure the power generated by micro-

hydro plants that IBEKA has built in Indonesia.

Steven Rathje, ’18 (Theatre and Psychology); Portland Shakespeare Project, Portland, Oregon

Steve helped to create a festival of new works to support emerging playwrights.

Aashna Shroff, ’17 (Computer Science); Girls Code Camp, Hyderabad, India

Aashna started a program called Girls Code Camp in Hyderabad, India with two fellow Stanford

students, including John Kamalu. Aashna partnered with CHIREC and other schools in

Hyderabad to create and teach computer programming workshops for high school girls.

Made possible by the Donald Kennedy Fellowship, the William & Reva Tooley Public Service Summer

Fellowship, and the Alex Tung Memorial Fellowship.

Haas Summer Round II Fellowship

provides graduating seniors and co-terms with support to develop and implement innovative,

collaborative service projects that address community needs

Anna Casalme, ’15 (Human Biology); Changing Faces, London, United Kingdom

Anna worked with Changing Faces, the largest and most comprehensive organization supporting

people with disfigurement, to develop classroom teaching guides for Wonder, a children’s novel

by RJ Palacio, which features a child protagonist with a medical facial deformity.

Sophia Christel, ’15 (Earth Systems); Open Space, Parks and Golf Division, City of Palo Alto’s

Community Services Department, Palo Alto, California

Sophia designed and produced new interpretive signage for the Palo Alto Baylands Nature

Preserve, which addresses aspects of salt marsh ecology, bird identification, and local

landmarks.

Allison Nguyen, ’15 (Human Biology); Innvision Shelter Network, Menlo Park, California

Allison built environments at Innvision’s shelters to promote health and wellbeing for clients by

providing them with the education and the support that they need to make healthy choices.

Nika Soon-Shiong, ’15 (International Relationship); Baylor International Pediatric AIDS

Initiative’s Teen Club, Gaborone, Botswana

Nika conducted a photovoice project and will be providing young adults with digital cameras and

asking them to capture their experiences searching for jobs.

Chelsey Sveinsson, ’15 (Communication); The Bronx Defenders, New York, NY

Chelsey facilitated community organizing around public housing issues by providing support and

developing training sessions for community leaders.

Andrea Villarraga Delgado, ’15 (Human Biology); CENIT, Quito, Ecuador

Andrea created and implemented a comprehensive sexual health education curriculum at

CENIT’s small all-girls high school.

Made possible by the Donald Kennedy Fellowship.

Halper International Summer Fellowship

supports students pursuing international service opportunities

Eric Fabre, ’16 (International Relations); WhizzKids United, Africaid Trust, Durban, South Africa

Eric worked with WhizzKids, an organization that combines soccer and HIV/AIDS education to

promote positive conversations around HIV/AIDS. He evaluated the On the Ball Life Skills

program, which goes to schools in the KwaZulu Natal region to further the reach of the

WhizzKids programs.

Cara Reichard, ’15 (Political Science); Yangon School of Political Science, Yangon, Myanmar

Cara worked with the Yangon School of Political Science in Burma during the country's election

cycle, and used the opportunity to allow her to explore many of the things that she has studied

at Stanford in a real world context.

Dafna Szafer, ’15 (Product Design Engineering); ReMaterials, Ahmedabad, India

Dafna worked with ReMaterials, a social enterprise based in India whose mission is to supply

affordable roofing solutions for urban villages and slums, and helped to improve the engineering

and design of the organization’s current roofing system, ModRoof, and assisted with day-to-day

activities like strength testing, waterproofing, and creation of marketing materials.

Zhi Ping (Zippy) Teo, ’18 (Undeclared); UN Women/FES/ASEAN Secretariat, various locations in

Southeast Asia

Zippy worked on a regional-level research project commissioned by the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat to conduct an impact assessment of the implementation of

the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) on the female workforce.

Made possible by the Halper Summer Fellows Fund.

Huffington Pride Fellowship

offered jointly with the Stanford Pride Alumni Club and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender

Community Resource Center (LGBT CRC); promotes activism in the queer community

Ali Murat Gali, ’17 (Human Biology); San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, California

Ali worked on a project to assess the global need for PrEP and locating communities with high

need in order to provide them with necessary medications, while also helping with the delivery

of care at Magnet, SFAF's gay men's health clinic in the Castro.

Allison Martin, ’17 (Undeclared); Advocates for Youth, Washington, D.C.

Alli served as an international policy intern for Advocates for Youth and is advocating for the

inclusion of young peoples, particularly young girls and LGBT peoples, in the UN's Post 2015

development goals.

Alex Rezai, ’17 (Human Biology); Gender Spectrum, Emeryville, California

Alex assisted Gender Spectrum with setting up their 2015 Professionals and Family Conference,

which helps educate professionals in healthcare, mental health, law, and education about how

social services can be more accommodating to gender-expansive youth.

Nadia Stoufflet, ’16 (Human Biology and Feminist Gender and Sexuality Studies); San Francisco

LGBT Community Center, San Francisco, California

Nadia interned with the Economic Development Team and worked with the Transgender

Economic Empowerment Initiative (TEEI) on analyzing existing policies and programs

surrounding employment opportunities and barriers to attaining economic stability for

transgender and gender nonconforming populations, as well as assisting with programming for

Economic Justice Month in the fall.

Made possible by the Huffington Pride Fellowship Fund and Stanford Pride donors.

Koret Fellowship

enables students to design and implement summer service projects within the context of the Jewish

community; offered in conjunction with the Taube Center for Jewish Studies

Zachary Birnholz, ’18 (Undeclared); Temple Isaiah, Los Angeles, California

Zachary worked at Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles to help continue the Temple’s integration into

the surrounding religious community and social justice efforts, and helped to deepen the

Temple’s relationship with First AME Church (a black church in Los Angeles) by coordinating a

series of text study exchanges, which applyed religious texts to current social justice issues such

as race violence.

Jake Friedler, ’15 (Comparative Literature); East Bay Alliance for Sustainable Economy,

Oakland, California

Jake’s work at the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy centered around immersion in

community organizing, where he assisted EBASE with campaigns related to worker's rights,

immigration justice, and fighting gentrification.

Made possible by the Koret Foundation and Taube Center for Jewish Studies.

Philanthropy Fellowship

offers students opportunities to work at Bay Area foundations

Jacob Dalder, ’15 (Symbolic Systems); Fast Forward, San Francisco, California

Jacob worked with Fast Forward, a tech non-profit accelerator, and assisted the team in the

logistics of the organization’s workshop series to position nine new tech non-profits for success

and growth and on additional research projects.

Monica Dey, ’15 (Human Biology); Tides Foundation, San Francisco, California

Monica served as a Strategy Intern for the Tides Foundation, and gained in-depth knowledge

about the ways in which foundations can support grassroots efforts for social justice and

development around the world.

Magali Duque, ’15 (History); Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Mountain View, California

Magali worked with the Silicon Valley Community Fund's Corporate Social Responsibility team

and learned more about how philanthropy can leave a lasting impact on both donors and the

communities the foundation serves.

Roselyn Miller, ’16 (Anthropology); Grove Foundation, Los Altos, California

Roselyn interned with the Grove Foundation and focused on projects related to safety nets for

local communities, affordable housing, and immigration services.

Charlotte Sagan, ’15 (Human Biology); Skoll Foundation, Palo Alto, California

In her fellowship, Charlotte worked to understand the selection process for the social

entrepreneurs who receive Skoll funding, and collaborated on a project that explores the

benefits beyond the dollar that Skoll grantees receive (such as mentorship and networking).

Ashley Semanskee, ’15 (Human Biology); Omidyar Network, Redwood City, California

Ashley worked with Omidyar Network’s US Financial Inclusion team to expand access to

financial services for the more than half of American families that are currently under-served by

the US financial services market.

Andie Taylor, ’15 (Human Biology); Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Mountain View,

California

Andie worked within the Corporate Responsibility department at the Silicon Valley Community

Foundation, and explored how corporations can engage with the community in a socially

responsible, strategic and impactful way.

Made possible by Susan Ford Dorsey’s Sand Hill Foundation and Philanthropic Ventures Foundation and

the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Public Interest Law Fellowship

offers students the opportunity to explore public interest law

Jaclyn Feenstra, ’17 (International Relations); California Rural Legal Assistance, Marysville,

California

Jaclyn learned about and assisted in righting housing, labor, and immigration issues in a rural

settings through her work with California Rural Legal Assistance.

Sophia Laurenzi, ’17 (Psychology); The Mental Health Project of the Urban Justice Center, New

York, New York

At The Mental Health Project, a subset of the Urban Justice Center, Sophia joined a team of

lawyers, social workers, and advocates who work with low-income, mentally ill New

Yorkers. Sophia learned about how existing policy can be made the most of in areas like

disability rights and criminal justice, as well as the way MHP and others are trying to chance

policy.

Soo Ji Lee, ’16 (History); Brooklyn Defender Services, Brooklyn, New York

Soo Ji assisted investigators at the Brooklyn Defender Services, who locate, interview and take

detailed statements from witnesses, run background checks on witnesses and police officers,

canvass for and review video surveillance footage, draft and serve subpoenas, photograph and

diagram crime scenes, and transcribe audio recordings.

Made possible by individual donors to the Haas Center Undergraduate Fellowships Program.

Roland Longevity Fellowship

supports students who provide service to the elderly and/or conduct research on issues of aging

Derek Lee, ’17 (Human Biology); National Institute on Aging, Washington, D.C.

Derek was a Science Communication Intern in the Office of Communications and Public Liaison

for the National Institute On Aging, a part of the National Institutes of Health, where he worked

with scientific information and translating a lot of information on aging into digital publications

for the general public.

Lillian Vu, ’16 (International Relations); Asian Americans for Community Involvement, San

Jose, California

Lillian worked with the Asian Americans for Community Involvement’s Senior Wellness program,

to better understand the inter-generational and intercultural differences in the community.

Made possible by the Miriam Aaron Roland Fellowship Fund Focusing on the Elderly.

Schneider Fellows

provides Stanford students with opportunities to work at leading U.S. non-governmental organizations

(NGOs) in the sustainable energy field.

Audubon

Alan Propp, ’16 (Human Biology)

Kenneth Qin, M.S. '16 (Biology; Statistics)

Green Empowerment

Nick Adam, M.S. '18 (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Sneha Ayyagari, '17 (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Systems Engineering)

Natural Resources Defense Council

Vincent Pierre Berges, M.S. '15 (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Paricha Duangtaweesub, M.S. '15 (Chemical Engineering)

Rachel Fakhry, M.S. '14 (Management Science and Engineering)

Noah Garcia, M.A. '15 (Public Policy)

Mengyao Yuan, Ph.D. '17 (Energy Resources Engineering)

Rocky Mountain Institute

Sherri Billimoria, M.S. '16 (Civil and Environmental Engineering; Earth Sciences)

Charlie Johnson, '15 (Engineering Physics)

Union of Concerned Scientists

Tori Greenen, '15 (Energy Resources Engineering)

United Nations Foundation

Ashley Hammerbacher, B.S./M.S. '17 (Bioengineering; Environmental Science)

Busiswa Vilakazi, '15 (Energy Resources Engineering)

U.S. Green Building Council

Evan Bowechop, B.S./M.S. '15 (Earth Systems)

Amy King, '16 (Earth Systems)

World Resources Institute

Hisako Takahashi, LL.M. '15 (Environmental Law and Policy)

Robert Young, '18 (Electrical Engineering)

Spirituality, Service and Social Change Fellowship

a joint program with the Office of Religious Life that integrates spiritual exploration with service to

communities in the Bay Area

Arnelle Ansong, ’18 (Symbolic Systems); Wishbone, San Francisco, California

Arnelle worked with Wishbone, a nonprofit that works to raise awareness and ultimately

eliminate the opportunity gap faced by high school children pursuing their passions outside of

the traditional classroom. Arnelle worked with the financial, student operations, and program

operations sides of Wishbone.

Jenai Longstaff, ’18 (Earth Systems); Phat Beets Produce, Oakland, California

Jenai worked with Phat Beets Produce on food justice and community resilience initiatives in

Oakland.

Erica McDowell, ’16 (Physics); GLIDE, San Francisco, California

Erica worked with GLIDE Memorial Church’s Emerging Leaders Internship Program. GLIDE is a

radically inclusive church and non-profit in San Francisco that operates large-scale social service

programs to break cycles of poverty and marginalization.

Mia Ritter-Whittle, ’18 (Native American Studies and Psychology); Native Mentorship in Public

Health, Pathways to American Indian and Alaska Native Wellness, San Jose, California

Mia served as a health mentor for youth in San Jose, most of whom identify as Native. Mia

hoped that she facilitated conversations that empower and strengthen the will of the mentees

by providing spaces that are affirming, encourage cultural celebration, uninhibited self-

expression, and continuous learning to help students define their own personal forms of success

and defy those false standards set before them.

Kirsten Willer, ’17 (International Relations); International Rescue Committee, San Jose, California

Kirsten worked as a resettlement intern with the International Rescue Committee in San Jose,

and helped refugees resettle and adjust to life within the Bay Area.

Made possible by the H. Michael Stevens Fellowship Fund, the Franklin Fund, and the Office of Religious

Life.

Strauss Scholarship

supports juniors in student-generated projects which foster leadership skills to encourage optimism and

an enduring interest in public service

Tanvi Jayaraman, ’16 (Human Biology); The Stand Up (SUp) Coalition at Stanford, Stanford,

California

Tanvi worked with Stanford’s Title IX Office to create a peer-education student coalition for a

group of students who will take on campus-wide sexual assault upstander mentorship

roles. The students will be trained in a variety of sexual assault topics, and will hold office hours,

conduct workshops, and enact presentations, overall encouraging conversation and awareness

about sexual assault in the communities around them.

Made possible by the Donald A. Strauss Foundation.

TomKat Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Internship

offered in conjunction with the Stanford Educational Farm Program and TomKat Ranch, supports a

student intern to serve full-time for 10 weeks at TomKat Ranch in Pescadero, California

Jake Tommerdahl, ’15 (Environmental Engineering Masters)

For Jake, the internship at TomKat Ranch served as an opportunity for him to take part in full

scale sustainable agriculture innovation, and learned about each piece of the LeftCoast Grassfed

operation, from cattle management to marketing to the science behind the ranch’s ecological

restoration techniques.

Made possible by the TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation.

Urban Summer Fellowship

offered jointly with the Program on Urban Studies, provides internships with organizations addressing

issues affecting urban life

Idris Ahmed, ’16 (Science, Technology, and Society); Price Philanthropies, San Diego, California

Idris worked on issues of urban development and worked closely with different community

organizations to learn about what programs are effective and how to reach the people who

need help the most.

Alfred Delena, ’16 (Human Biology); Native Mentorship in Public Health, Pathways to

American Indian and Alaska Native Wellness, San Jose, California

Alfred worked on a project that focuses on healthy lifestyle promotion among American

Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) adolescents in urban San Jose, and acted as a near-peer mentor to

AI/AN adolescents and worked with other interns to develop an intervention that will then be

administered to AI/AN adolescents.

Connie Huynh, ’15 (Public Policy); National City City Manager’s Office, San Diego, California

Connie shadowed the only female city manager in all the cities in the fifth most populous county

in America - San Diego and worked on cost benefit reports on current municipal projects,

conducting outreach into the community, and drafting policy recommendations.

Nicole Jackson, ’17 (Urban Studies); Department of Health and Human Services, Office of

Health Reform, Washington, D.C.

Nicole saw first-hand how the federal government implements President Obama’s Patient

Protection and Affordable Care Act and is eager to learn how the US government continues to

strive toward improving the delivery of medical advancements and developing a quality,

coordinated healthcare system.

Jack Lundquist, ’17 (Civil Engineering); City of Oakland, Oakland, California

Jack worked on the City of Oakland’s Resilience Initiative on a program to retrofit Soft-Story

Apartment buildings, which is an important project to help the City improve its structural

resilience.

Wendy Sov, ’15 (Public Policy); Los Angeles City Controller's Office, Los Angeles, California

Wendy interned in the Office of Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin, the chief accountant

and auditor for the City of Los Angeles and worked with Controller’s Executive Team to conduct

research analysis and assisting with special projects to increase government efficiency.

Emily Strickler, ’16 (Human Biology); Medicaid District Office, Las Vegas, Nevada

During her internship with the Las Vegas District Medicaid Office, Emily sampled an overview of

Medicaid state-plan services offered to all Medicaid recipients, such as programs for integrating

recipients back into the community from long-term care facilities, and shadowed Health Care

Coordinators as they work in these various programs and with providers in order to see how

exactly the Medicaid program interacts with program beneficiaries.

Made possible by the Thiemann Family Public Service Undergraduate Fellowship Fund, the Philip and

Jennifer Arnold Satre Fund, the H. Michael Stevens Fellowship Fund, and individual donors to the Haas

Center Undergraduate Fellowships Program.

Stanford in Government (SIG) Fellows and Stipends

provides undergraduates meaningful exposure to government and public policy through intensive

summer internships

SIG Fellowships

The fellowship placement descriptions can be found on SIG’s website here.

SIG International Fellows

Anna Blue, ’16 (International Relations); United Nations High Commission on Refugees –

Innovation Section, Geneva, Switzerland

Anna has a passion for helping refugees. She worked on revolutionizing the efficiency and

problem-solving techniques of international organizations during her fellowship.

Monica Chan, ’17 (Mechanical Engineering); United Nations High Commission on Refugees –

Shelter and Settlement Section, Geneva, Switzerland

Monica merged her passions in engineering, international relations and public service while

interning at the Shelter and Settlement Section of the UNHCR to contribute to humanitarian aid

at a global scale.

Andrew Mather, ’16 (Symbolic Systems); United Nations High Commission on Refugees -

Regional Office, Amman, Jordan

Andrew worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on data analysis

projects in Amman, Jordan and learned about the various issues facing refugees from the

current Syrian and Iraqi crises.

Hannah Meropol, ’16 (Political Science); Brookings Doha Center, Doha, Qatar

Hannah engaged in the academic pursuits of the Brookings Doha Center and learned a lot about

the intersection of academia and policy.

Sricharana Muppidi, ’17 (Economics); Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai, India

Sri worked on a self-designed research project at the Reserve Bank of India, and she is especially

interested in financial literacy, financial inclusion, and remittances.

Leslie Nguyen-Okwu, ’15 (International Relations); Internews, Bangkok, Thailand

Leslie assisted the Regional Office for Internews in Asia with country assessments of the media

landscape and the current state of freedom of expression and freedom of information in the

region. She also provided support in reviewing and analyzing project data, preparing and editing

reports, drafting technical proposals and concept papers, attending events, and conducting

research such as literature reviews, stakeholder interviews, donor mapping, and social network

analysis.

Lucienne Oyer, ’18 (Undeclared); Internews, Yangon, Myanmar

Lucienne worked at an innovation lab that seeks to harness technology to bring positive social

change to Myanmar and learned about using technology for good and working in a country in

transition.

Claire Thompson, ’16 (Earth Systems); World Wildlife Fund, Belize

Claire completed a research fellowship with WWF and the Belize Banana Growers' Association,

and is working with these organizations on risk analysis and developed an early warning disease

model for banana plantations.

Giselle Tran, ’17 (Economics); Ministry of Finance and Economic Empowerment, Port Louis,

Mauritius

Giselle worked on policy issues surrounding healthcare, renewable energy, information

technology, and social entrepreneurship.

Made possible by the Alexander L. George Public Service Undergraduate Fellowship Fund, the Donald

Kennedy Environmental Fellowship for Stanford in Government Fund, the J. Burke Knapp Fund for

Stanford in Government, the Philip and Maurine Halper in Stanford in Government International

Fellowship Funds, the John Westley Rice, Jr. Stanford in Government International Fellowship Fund, and

the Omidyar Foundation.

SIG DC/National Fellows

Raga Ayyagari ’17 (Environmental Systems Engineering); Military Division of Tropical

Medicine, Washington D.C. and Peru

Through her fellowship, Raga explored issues of global health and tropical medicine through

three lenses: policy, science, and research. She worked on an independent research project

throughout the summer, and this work is informed by her interactions with policymakers

working on national and international policy in DC, a seminar course on tropical medicine and

disease in Bethesda, MD, and field research in Peru.

Adriana Baird ’15 (International Relations); New York City Economic Development

Corporation, New York, New York

Adriana worked at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and learned about

and contributing to the NYCEDC’s programs that incorporate the work of organizations in both

the public and private sectors.

Nicolette Brannan ’18 (Undeclared); Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, Arlington,

Virginia

Colette worked on the more technical aspects of nuclear waste policy, and hopes to synthesize

both her love of science and her interest in government through this fellowship.

Alexandra Gray ’16 (Political Science); Internews, Washington, D.C.

Alexandra learned more about different regions in the world as well as develop her professional

skills and hone her interests through her fellowship with Internews.

Tyler Karahalios ’16 (International Relations); National Endowment for Democracy,

Washington, D.C.

Tyler worked at the National Endowment for Democracy, where she aided in cataloging the

organization’s efforts and impact in Liberia since the pre-transition period.

Erica Knox ’16 (Earth Systems); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

Washington, D.C.

Erica worked in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of the

Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management on NOAA's newest priority: resilient

communities. She learned more about the challenges and solutions of translating

environmental information collected by NOAA into communications that are actionable for

communities across the U.S.

Meg Lentz ’16 (Political Science); Project On Government Oversight (POGO), Washington, D.C.

Through her fellowship, Meg about the inner workings of government business and decision-

making, and is applying her critical thinking and investigative skills to advocate for greater

accountability and transparency in Washington.

Brett Parker ’17 (Philosophy and Political Science); National Labor Relations Board,

Washington, D.C.

Brett developed expertise in labor law and would like to have a strong understanding of how

disputes are settled under the National Labor Relations Act, and what the rights of unions

are. He also helped research legal decisions that could have a substantial impact on peoples’

lives.

Magellan Pfluke ’16 (History); Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Magellan’s fellowship involved researching and synthesizing the contents of the Liljenquist

Family Collection of the Civil War Photographs, as well as finding new ways of employing the

collection and the Library's other resources as tools for American schoolteachers.

Gerardo Rendon Gonzalez ’17 (Undeclared); Inter-American Investment Corporation,

Washington, D.C.

Gerardo worked with the Development Effectiveness Team at the Inter-American Investment

Corporation, which invests in small and medium-sized enterprises in Latin America. Gerardo

learned more about emerging markets in Latin America, furthering his understanding of the

entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region and applying his academic knowledge and skills from

previous work experiences in ways that create positive social impact.

Rachel Samuels ’17 (International Relations); Office of Congressman Matt Cartwright, D-PA,

Washington, D.C

Rachel supported the Legislative Director in building and reviewing legislation, writing memos,

and completing logistical tasks to help the Congressman's office run smoothly.

Oscar Sarabia Roman ’17 (Public policy); Office of Congressman Xavier Becerra, D-CA,

Washington, D.C.

Oscar assisted the legislative and press staff with researching and analyzing issues for hearings,

speeches, and talking points among other responsibilities.

Sophie Shank ’16 (Economics); Millennium Challenge Corporation, Washington, D.C.

Sophie worked for the Millennium Challenge Corporation as an intern in the Economic Analysis

Division hopes to develop a deeper understanding of the ethics of foreign aid, cross cultural

communication in working toward this goal, effective models for participatory aid, and how to

predict and measure the impacts of a project.

Eve Simister ’16 (History); Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and

Culture, Washington, D.C.

Eve gained museum experience and learn about what goes on behind the scenes of a major

cultural institution, and hopes to promote social justice by restoring the place of previously

silenced people in museums and memorials.

Zachary Sorenson ’16 (Computer Science); Sunlight Foundation, Washington, D.C.

As a computer science student interested in government and policymaking, Zachary spent the

summer working at the Sunlight Foundation, an organization that advocates increased

transparency in government using cutting-edge data tools and technology.

Zainab Taymuree ’16 (African and African American Studies); Smithsonian National Museum

of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C.

Through her research project on black civil war soldiers with the Smithsonian's National

Museum for African American History and Culture, Zainab aimed to both improve her dexterity

with primary sources, transforming those sources into a compelling narrative for a public

audience, and also to learn the silenced story of Americans of color struggling to hold the

American national narrative of 'freedom' and 'democracy' accountable to its distant ideals.

Claudia Wharton ’16 (History); Center for Legislative Archives, Washington, D.C.

Claudia researched documents from and preparing an exhibit about the first Congress for the

Center for Legislative Archives.

Jimmy Zhang ’18 (Undeclared); Chicago Park District, Chicago, Illinois

Jimmy worked to help the Chicago Park District to develop a sustainable model for allocating

funds and setting goals for various parks, and hopes to gain valuable skills in economics and data

analysis and develop a better understanding of how local governments operate.

Made possible by the Goodman Family Endowed Fellowship Fund for Stanford in Government, the

Huffington Stanford in Government Fund, the James and Charles Ludlam SIG Fellowships Fund, the

Liljenquist Family Fellow Fund, the Omidyar Foundation, the Rita H. Small Endowment Fund of Stanford

in Government, the William an Reva Tooley Public Service Summer Fellowship Fund, the Donald

Kennedy Environmental Fellowship for Stanford in Government Fund, and donors to the Stanford in

Government Summer Fellowship Fund.

SIG State/Local Fellows

Troy Barnhart ’17 (Earth Systems); Delta Stewardship Council, Sacramento, California

Troy worked at the Delta Stewardship Council, which is the state body charged with overseeing

the California Delta region and achieving two coequal goals: a reliable state water supply and

protection, restoration, and enhancement of the Delta ecosystem. Troy worked with the project

engineer for water transfers, and hopes to gain a better perspective on the processes and

general atmosphere of water policymaking in California, as well as experience in contributing to

the management of an immensely important water project.

Britiny Cook ’16 (Sociology); StudentsFirst, Sacramento, California

Britiny worked as a policy intern at StudentsFirst and learned a great deal about the drafting and

implementation of student-centered education policy.

Julia Daniel ’17 (Human Biology); County of Marin Department of Health and Human Services,

Marin County, California

Julia worked at the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services on analyzing and

implementing the Subsidized Employment Program to provide public-sector jobs for the

unemployed. She gained a detailed understanding of how policies are adapted and

implemented at a local level and applied what she has learned in her classes to real-world

problems in her own home county.

Corey Garcia ’16 (Public Policy and Economics); California Department of Education,

Sacramento, California

Corey conducted cost-benefit analysis of education policy bills proposed in the state legislature,

and is pursuing an independent project using the department's databases to see how the state

of CA defines a failing school.

Pedro Hernandez-Bachen ’17 (International Relations); San Jose City Auditor’s Office, San Jose,

California

Pedro worked with the San Jose City Auditor's office on an audit of one of the city services or

programs up for review. He contributed to better understanding and improving crucial public

services provided by the city, and in doing so gained insight into the mechanisms of local

government and its power to improve communities.

Ava Lindstrom ’15 (French); California Governor’s Office of Planning & Research, Sacramento,

California

Ava helped with land-use planning efforts and hopes to learn how agencies use scientific and

social scientific research for public benefit and more about the specific environmental

challenges California planners face.

Andrea Martinez ’16 (Earth Systems); Environmental Defense Fund, San Francisco, California

Andrea worked at EDF on different environmental policy and research initiatives, and gained an

understanding of how the non-profit sector works and interacts with the policy realm.

Andrew Ntim ’18 (Public Policy); California Department of Finance, Sacramento, California

Andrew worked under California Department of Finance Director Michael Cohen in Sacramento,

carrying out a self-directed project regarding state finance policy. Andrew had the opportunity

to experience state policy from the inside and make meaningful connections with people doing

incredible things in the California state policy world.

Calum You ’17 (Earth Systems and Economics); California Governor’s Office of Planning and

Research, Sacramento, California

Calum worked at the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research on environmental

policy issues. The OPR administers important environmental legislation such as the California

Environmental Quality Act, as well as providing research backing for other policy initiatives.

Made possible by the Lawrence W. Jr. and Jane B. Harris Fellowship Fund, the J.E. Wallace Sterling

Internships Fund, the William and Reva Tooley Haas Center Government Fellowship Fund, and the Edwin

L. Z'Berg Fellowship in California State Conservation and Environmental Issues Fund, and the County of

Marin.

SIG County Fellows

Kelly Hernandez ’16 (Political Science); Santa Clara County Office of Reentry Services – County

Executive’s Office, San Jose, California

Kelly analyzed cost savings/impacts of various policies, supporting transition efforts, developing

peer mentoring curriculum, and supporting the development of communication materials.

Corey Herro ’17 (Undeclared); Santa Clara County Executive – Board of Supervisors, San Jose,

California

Corey worked for Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese and conducing research and press

office outreach, and honed my research and communications skills as well as learn about how

government operates on a local level.

Gabriella Johnson ’17 (African & African American Studies); Santa Clara County Public Health

Department, San Jose, California

Gabriella worked on the Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s Violence Prevention

Programs, and learned more about public health issues and solutions in Santa Clara County, at

the same time as working with the local communities, doing policy research, and learning more

about the operations of public agencies.

Kelsey Page ’18 (Undeclared); Santa Clara County Office of Women’s Policy, San Jose,

California

Kelsey learned more about the reality of the challenges that women face both at home and in

the workplace through research, focus groups, meetings and educational programs.

Thuy Vy Tran ’16 (Human Biology); Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, California

Vy worked on researching the doctor patient relationship and how technology could be

integrated artfully to enhance care. As a budding premedical student, Vy used the fellowship to

enrich her growth as a future public health advocate by exposing herself to the administrative

foundation that makes the medical work possible.

Jimmy Zhou ’18 (Public Policy); Santa Clara County Office of Pretrial Services, San Jose,

California

Jimmy worked in the Office of Pretrial Services and conducted research and creating

recommendations for the Santa Clara County.

Made possible by the Santa Clara County.

SIG Stipends

Michael Anderson, ’16 (Science, Technology, and Society); Service 2 School, San Francisco,

California

Michael partnered with Service 2 School, an organization that aims to help guide veterans

transitioning from military service to academia. Michael was tasked with continuing his

mentorship and providing a scalable model for the organization to reach even more veterans.

Emelyn Avina, ’17 (Political Science); Office of Congressman Raul Ruiz, Palm Desert, California

Emelyn assisted in policy research and writing policy memos, and gained insight into the

representational aspect of government by working in her home district.

Rochelle Ballantyne, ’17 (Political Science); Office of the Attorney General, San Francisco,

California

Rochelle gained more first-hand experience of the politics behind the law and is interested in

the work Attorney General Harris is doing on recidivism.

Kidi Basile, ’18 (Economics); AIESEC, Yaounde, Cameroon

Through his internship with AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-led organization, Kidi worked on

the development and implementation of YouthSpeak in collaboration with Cameroon’s Ministry

of Youth Affairs. Youthspeak is a global youth insight survey and is on a mission to collect the

opinions of at least 25,000 youth, to find solutions and policies for improving and aligning

education and employment.

Elena Bauer, ’17 (Management Science & Engineering); Inter American Dialogue, Washington,

D.C.

Elena worked for the Immigration, Remittances, and Development branch of the Inter American

Dialogue and used her interest for math and statistics and her background in engineering to

inform remittance data analysis and immigration patterns, and to eventually help the IIC convert

to a paperless data analytic system.

Qitong (Tom) Cao, ’18 (Computer Science and Linguistics); Center on U.S.-China Relations, Asia

Society, New York, New York

During his summer internship, Tom had the opportunity to connect with top scholars,

journalists, and social entrepreneurs, who offered him valuable help not only in his future

policy-related career, but also in guiding him to better contribute to keeping the online

discussion vibrant. The experience will allowed him to present China to the American public and

enhance mutual understanding between the two nations.

Abby Fanlo, ’16 (Political Science); United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and

Governmental Affairs, Washington, D.C.

Abby worked on homeland security issues at the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and

Governmental Affairs, and gained experience with the legislative process, as well as to learn

more about the timely policy issues of immigration reform and violent extremism.

Ashley Geo ’15 (Human Biology); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN

FAO), Rome, Italy

Ashley interned with the Nutrition Education Team of the FAO, where she worked on a project

that links agriculture with nutrition education to improve child feeding practices. Through this

internship, Ashley gained a better understanding of how an international policy organization like

the FAO, as a branch of the UN, shapes food access and consumption in developing countries.

Alexandra Gill, ’18 (Political Science); Office of Senator Jeff Merkley, Washington, D.C.

Alexandra interned with Senator Merkley's office and gained direct, first-hand experience with

the legislative process on a federal level. While handling constituent correspondence and

providing research support to staff, Alexandra got the amazing opportunity to not only learn

how policy decisions are made but also contribute to the process.

Wyatt Horan, ’17 (Management Science & Engineering); Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S.

State Department, Washington, D.C.

Wyatt evaluated Russian oil sanctions for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Energy

Resources.

Justin Hsuan, ’18 (Undeclared); Office of the United States Trade Representative, Washington,

D.C.

Justin worked on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) laws and on closing the Trans-Pacific

Partnership (TPP) agreement, and also worked with private sector outreach, which involved

speaking to business leaders from Fortune 500 CEOs to small business owners and helping them

understand the text of the trade agreements and how they would benefit from the agreements.

Amanda Jaffe, ’17 (Public Policy); Bureau of European/Eurasian Affairs, U.S. State Department,

Washington, D.C.

Amanda worked on projects including researching and writing reports on European policy issues

and developments, observing European policy negotiations, and editing social media, web

pages, and electronic journals.

Alexis Kallen, ’18 (Political Science); Office of Congresswoman Julia Bownley, Washington, D.C.

Alexis wrote memos for the congresswoman before she casts her vote on important legislation,

meeting with constituents, and acting as a page on the House floor.

Jacob Leih, ’17 (International Relations); Office of California Representative Anna Eshoo, Palo

Alto, California

Jacob conducted research on bills, drafting constituent letters, and performing general office

work, and learned more about what a democracy does, practically, to represent its people.

Carla Lewis, ’17 (International Relations); Department of Corrections, East Elmhurst, New York

Carla worked within the office of the Commissioner, directly for the Department’s Chief of Staff,

to help frame and evaluate options for housing and classifying special populations within the

Department of Corrections. Two particular areas of focus are 1) creating a young adult model for

the DOC, and 2) developing a more effective custody and care model for mentally ill inmates

who are charged with infractions within DOC care, redefining what punitive and treatment-

based options there are for dealing with this population.

Lauren Lockett, ’17 (History); U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.

Lauren interned with the team of Department of Education’s Chief of Staff, and learned more

about how education policy is conceived and formulated at the highest levels.

Hannah Long, ’16 (Political Science); Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law,

Washington, D.C.

Hannah worked on voting rights at the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights, and learned more

about the legal profession. She was a part of meaningful civil rights change to make voting equal

and accessible to all.

Zach Maurer ’16 (Computer Science); Central Tibetan Administration, Department of Health,

Dharamshala, India

Zach worked at the Department of Health within the Central Tibetan Administration, an

organization that is responsible for providing health services to the Tibetan population living in

exile. Zach learned about the operational challenges of an independent healthcare provider in a

developing context.

Alex Monahan, ’18 (Undeclared); UNCIVICUS, New York, New York

Alex interned at UNCIVICUS, and attended United Nations meetings and writing policy briefs.

Jelani Munroe, ’16 (Public Policy); Embassy of Jamaica, Washington, D.C.

Jelani’s responsibilities at the Embassy of Jamaica ranged from assisting in the execution of

Embassy programming to providing policy analysis on the outcomes of Jamaica’s multilateral

partnerships.

Chiamaka Ogwuegbu, ’18 (Earth Systems); The Climate Institute, Washington, D.C.

Chiamaka interned at the Climate Institute, which works to highlight international awareness

around climate change and informs key decision makers, and learned the basic workings of

climate policy.

Hyang Eun Park, ’16 (Psychology); Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United

Nations, New York, New York

Hyang Eun worked with the 3rd Committee-Human Rights and Social Issues team where she

mainly worked with team officers on human rights and social issues, concurrently as she assisted

with various Mission events at the UN.

Micah Patterson ’16 (Engineering Agriculture for Sustainability); ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal

Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland

This summer, Micah is researched Swiss agricultural and healthcare policy and their

implementations and seeking relationships of influence between the two. Micah gained a

better understanding of whether agricultural policies can be seen as means to beneficial health

outcomes and subsequent monetary savings in healthcare spending.

Jessica Schrantz, ’17 (African and African American Studies); Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission – Chicago District Office, Chicago, Illinois

As an intern in the Legal Unit, Jessica worked with trial attorneys engaged in litigation against

employers for violations of Title VII, the ADEA and the ADA, and also assisted in interviewing

claimants or witnesses or help prepare them for deposition.

Ben Schwartz, ’18 (Religious Studies); Cancer Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.

Ben interned at the Cancer Policy Institute, thus exposing himself to the different facets of the

policymaking process, particularly with regard to how medicine and legislation interact on a

daily basis.

Laetitia Walendom ’15 (Urban Studies); ArchiAfrika - Creative Forces, Accra, Ghana

This summer, Laetitia interned with the Creative Forces branch of the ArchiAfrika architectural

organization, and learned more on how decentralized policy in Accra influences the

development of the urban design sphere in sustainable, locally minded parameters. Laetitia

solicited ideas from the various communities so as to determine the city’s design intervention

needs, which included creating bus shelters and public furniture, restructuring buildings for

multiple uses, and addressing waste management programs and regulation.

Lauren Wedekind ’16 (Human Biology); World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Lauren interned with the WHO Emergency Risk Management and Humanitarian Response

Department, which coordinates agencies and nongovernmental organizations that provide

health relief in situations during and after conflict and/or disaster. Lauren worked with the

Policy, Practice, and Evaluation Unit, and researched and documented the state of attacks on

health care workers in humanitarian emergencies and assisted with the development of policies

to promote the security of health care workers in humanitarian emergencies.

Brandon Williams, ’18 (Public Policy); Office of Councilmember Michael Tubbs, Stockton,

California

Brandon worked on education and civic engagement initiatives and conducted research on how

certain organization models can be replicated there in the Councilmember’s office. Brandon also

served as a mentor for the mentoring program for local high school students named the

Summer Success Leadership Academy (SSLA) on the University of Pacific’s Stockton campus.

Breanna Williams, ’17 (Psychology); Equal Justice Society, Oakland, California

Breanna worked with the Equal Justice Society as a Legal Research Intern, and learned about the

intersection of psychology and law through research and work on the school-to-prison pipeline

and other relevant issues.

Victor Xu, ’17 (Economics); Office of Senator Joe Donnelly, Washington, D.C.

Victor applied his academic experience toward policy research, and engaged directly with

constituents in Indiana in addressing the pressing legislative issues of today.

Made possible by the Philip Tabor Bennett Stanford in Government International Fellowship Fund, the

Cafaro Foundation, the Philip and Maurine Halperin Stanford in Government Fellowship Funds, the

Huffington Stanford in Government Fund, the Donald Kennedy Environmental Fellowship for Stanford in

Government Fund, the J.E. Wallace Sterling Internships Fund, the John Westly Rice, Jr. Stanford in

Government International Fellowship Fund, the Westly Foundation, and donors to the Stanford in

Government Summer Fellowship Fund.